Breaking up with My Boss - Alexis Winter Page 0,55

I want things to stay this way. Just thinking about going our separate ways has a hole opening in my stomach. And that makes me wonder if he feels the same way. He seems to enjoy my company as much as I’ve been enjoying his.

How will this end for us?

Forever happy and in love . . . or nothing but heartbreak?

Twenty

Matthew

Saturday rolls around and I sneak out of bed, leaving Poppy to sleep. I watch the clock, counting down the minutes until the delivery men arrive with her surprise. I’m pacing back and forth in front of the door, watching the seconds tick by on the clock that hangs above the fireplace. The delivery information sheet stated that they would be here at 8 a.m., and it’s now 7:54. Poppy doesn’t ever sleep past 8 on weekdays and 9 on weekends, but I want everything set up before she wakes. That way, when she walks out of the bedroom, the first thing she’ll see is the brand-new grand piano I’ve purchased for her.

Sure, I know she won’t have room for it in her apartment when she returns, but it’ll always be here and it’ll always be hers. But maybe by the end of this, she won’t want to return. She doesn’t act like she’s being forced to stay here anymore. She seems to feel more welcome—more at home. I would love for my house to become her home too, but that just leads me to think of things I’d rather not. I haven’t tried to figure out the end of this just yet. All I know is that what I first thought I wanted is no longer enough. I don’t just want her in my bed for one night anymore. I want her in my bed every night. Every fucking night for the rest of my life. Anything less will never be enough.

My cell rings with a call from the doorman downstairs alerting me to a delivery. I tell him to send them up, excited that the piano is finally here and she hasn’t come out of the bedroom yet. I might just pull this off. The elevator doors open and two men are standing at my door dressed in coveralls and holding clipboards.

“You Mr. Lewis?”

“I am.”

“We have a delivery for you. Grand piano?”

“You’re at the right place,” I tell them, waving them in as I unlatch the second half of the double door.

“Where would you like us to put it?” one man asks.

I point over to the area in front of the windows. “Anywhere over there will suffice.”

He nods. “Very well.”

The two men walk out, and they’re back a little while later with the piano on a big rolling cart. One is pushing and the other is pulling; both of them look tired and out of breath.

“She’s so big, you’re lucky your elevator is the size of a service elevator,” one grunts out, steering the big cart over to the area I indicated.

The cart they’re using is pretty amazing. They put it in place, then hit a couple of buttons. The top part of the cart, where the four legs of the piano are sitting, lifts up, moves to the side, then lowers to the floor. Once the piano is in place, they each take turns lifting up the legs to get the section of cart out from under them. The piano is in place within minutes. By 8:07, the two men are walking out. I tipped them extra for being relatively quiet.

With everything now ready, I go back into the bedroom, crawl up on the bed, and pull her to my chest. She snuggles against me, a sleepy smile on her face.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I whisper, nuzzling my face into her hair.

“Good morning,” she replies with a grin as she stretches.

“I have a surprise for you,” I whisper.

“You do?”

“Mm-hmm. Want to come see it?”

She smiles widely now and nods.

I wait on the bed while she gets up and uses the bathroom, then I lead her into the living room. She steps inside and her eyes start on the right side, sweeping over the entryway and the dining room, followed by the fireplace, couch, tables, and TV. Then her view goes to the center of the room, where she finds nothing but the swinging door to the kitchen. Finally, she looks toward the windows and gasps as she discovers the shiny black grand piano. Her eyes are wide and sparkling with excitement, and her lips are turned up into